Twitter Mailbag: On Vick, Foles And the Secondary

Every Thursday we select a few of your Twitter questions and provide the long-form answers they deserve. For a chance to have your question published on Birds 24/7, send it to @Tim_McManus.

From @ZainSaleh24: how do you feel the eagles did in the draft? Any picks you would change?

Overall, feel pretty good about it. So much rests on that Lane Johnson pick. The words “raw” and “upside” were some of the first out of Chip Kelly‘s mouth when officially announcing the selection. You would prefer a more sure-fire prospect at No. 4. But there were no players on the board that fit that description. Ziggy Ansah has only been playing football since 2010. Star Lotulelei had the heart-condition scare. Tavon Austin is only 5-8, etc. Everyone had some kind of question mark attached.

I like Zach Ertz‘s chances of thriving in this system. He is the type of chess piece that Kelly can use to create all sorts of matchup problems.

Then there is Matt Barkley. Fourth-round picks can definitely help your team. Brandon Boykin and Alex Henery were both recently found in Round 4. Jason Avant and Todd Herremans before them. Howie Roseman used a fourth-rounder to net DeMeco Ryans. Another was sent in a package to Buffalo for Jason Peters. It’s not like they can be treated as throw-a-ways. That said, there is no guarantee that you will land an impact player. Think Trey Darilek or Jamaal Green. Your odds decrease the further you get into the draft.

Could be that Barkley never pans out. There is also chance, however remote, that he can be a franchise-changer. Even if it’s a longshot, it’s worth the bet that late in the draft.

Talk to some of the people around the signal-caller, and you’ll walk away with the impression that the 32-year-old is dialed in. He is aware that the end is near, and is motivated by the challenges that both Kelly and Father Time are presenting to him. The best Michael Vick is the one who needs to prove himself. The early word is that he looks very good on the practice field.

Kelly may not need his quarterback to be mobile, but he sure would prefer it. All things considered I think Vick does enough to win the starting job. Whether he can hold onto it is an entirely different conversation.

From @TheFortycent: no trade of Foles yet, any chance they’re holding him as trade bait during the season when a starter gets hurt to up his value?

No, if he was going to be traded I think it would have been done by now. Kelly has publicly stated that he likes Nick Foles and wants a chance to work with him. I was told Howie Roseman personally called Foles amid all the trade speculation to express that the team wanted to keep him. From what I gather the Eagles were approached by at least one team regarding a potential trade, and weren’t all that interested in engaging in talks.

Vick is only a short-term option and Barkley hasn’t played a snap. I believe Kelly when he says that he wants to see what he has in Foles.

From @PerfectionistPA: who will start in the secondary?

Good question. Right now I would pencil in the free-agent acquisitions as the starters: Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung at safety, Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams at corner. I am anxious to get a look at Phillips in action to see if he is still dealing with knee issues. The fact that the Eagles got him for so cheap raises some concerns.

I’m curious to see if fifth-round draft choice Earl Wolff can get in the mix for playing time. Also, it’s worth noting that seventh-rounder Jordan Poyer played inside a bunch at Oregon State. Could he put the heat on Boykin?

“I think he had six picks this year as a nickel,” said Kelly. “He has a lot of experience playing inside and covering slot receivers. He’s a tough, physical, hard-nosed player.”